CSOs, GWI staff in Reg 1 complete water sanitation training

Approximately 30 Community Service Officers (CSOs) and six Guyana Water Inc (GWI) employees in Region One (Barima-Waini) successfully completed a Water Sanitation and Hygiene training programme on Friday.
This two-day training programme aimed to equip them with the skills to better manage, operate and repair the water systems in their respective communities. These are Four Miles, Matthews Ridge, Falls Top, Canal Bank, Yarakita, Citrus Grove, Koberimo Hill, Port Kaituma, Baramita, Arakaka, Kamwatta, Whitewater, Sebai and Oronoque in the Matarkai and Mabaruma districts.

Led by GWI engineer Khemraj Persaud and Quality Analyst Sewnarayne Bisesar, the training covered four main components: Water Quality Monitoring and Sampling, Understanding Photovoltaic Systems, Management and Operations of Water Distribution Systems and Reporting.
Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley and GWI Director of Hinterland Services Ramchand Jailal presented the CSOs and GWI staff with certificates of completion during a simple ceremony.
Minister Croal remarked that as the Government is developing more water systems, training is required to guarantee that these systems are adequately maintained.
Meanwhile, Ashley encouraged the certified employees to share their knowledge with others to ensure the quality of water delivery increases throughout the region.
This training programme was done in collaboration with the Amerindian Affairs Ministry to ensure Indigenous communities have continued access to safe, hygienic water and so that issues, should they arise, are detected and addressed promptly.
This initiative continues the work the Housing Ministry has been engaging in for the past years to improve the quality of water throughout the country.
In March 2022, 64 CSOs from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) participated in a similar two-day training to improve the maintenance of water delivery across the 32 villages in Central, South-Central and North Rupununi they hailed from.

That training was primarily funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and it included practical exercises such as solar panel connection and maintenance, leak repairs and water sampling and analysis.
In November 2021, 18 CSOs from Region One also completed training that was done as a part of Phase Two of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.
WASH Phase One launched in 2019 in hinterland communities to improve sanitation, hygiene and access to potable water for residents and Venezuelan migrants in Region One, Two and Seven.